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There are currently 24 member reviews
for L.A. Women
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Sheila A. (San Diego, CA)
A view of Hollywood in its least glamorous
I read this book in one sitting as I was on a long flight. I found the main characters shallow, and unlikable the jealous and vampiric Lane was particularly distasteful. The reason for her reserve and coldness was well explained. The character of Gala was particularly cartoonish. Her relationship with the rock star Gabriel reminded me of "Nearly Famous" and the relationship between Curt Cobain and Courtney love with Jim Morrison thrown in. It rang more true than Lane and Scotty, the other love story.
The only true struggle was Charlie's attempt to grapple with his gayness. How do you write a story of the 60's and 70's without mentioning the Civil Rights struggles and the Vietnam war and Watergate? Writing was good but not memorable. I would recommend that this can easily be missed
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Jennie W. (Denver, CO)
L.A. Women
I had a love-hate relationship with this book, much like the dynamic between the two main characters Lane and Gala. On the one hand, I loved being immersed in the glitz and grit of 1960's and 70's Los Angles celebrity culture. This setting was vivid and engaging. On the other hand, I struggled to connect with the characters who were both selfish and emotionally withholding.
Lane, despite overcoming a terrible childhood and achieving everything society says is desirable for a woman, remained closed off, even in the moments she was "helping" Gala. Meanwhile, Gala, who had a happier though unconventional upbringing, felt more sympathetic but was frustratingly dependent on others and unable to trust herself through most of the book.
Despite my lack of connection to the characters, the story was well written and kept me reading to the end. However, I felt myself more invested in the world of the book rather than the characters.
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John A. (Houston, TX)
"Friends"
L.A. Women
This book covers events predominantly 49 to 60 years ago with L.A. as the backdrop at a time when there existed a very different environment for gays and to a lesser extent women compared to today. What hasn't changed is the psychological burden of bad parenting on some offspring and the love-hate relationship between some sorts of "friends", one of whom may have an unhealthy competitive flaw that results in surreptitious malevolent behavior.
The book is focused on the flawed relationship of the one uptight accomplished friend and her more outgoing, naturally talented compatriot. The story sometimes drags because of the featured role of the angst ridden former in the narration of the story. I had a hard time liking or often even caring about this woman, so I didn't particularly enjoy the book.
However, the book is well written and conveys some unpleasant truths about how we have behaved and alas still behave in some ways. Thank goodness we have improved in how our gay friends are treated today.
In short, this is a skillfully rendered portrayal of a certain time in the USA which is well done but unpleasant to look back on. It is also painful to recognize that insecurities still undo once healthy friendships.
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Helen B. (WINTHROP, ME)
L.A. Women
This 3rd novel by Ella Berman sports the 'already done plot' of young woman goes to Hollywood only to try to survive the decadence of becoming rich and famous. Sadly the book lacks the nuances of Malibou Rising and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. While technically very well written, with a deft command of dialogue, L.A. Women has plot holes and parts that are never really explained.
Probably its biggest flaw is that none of the characters are likeable or people that most of us can relate to. They are drug addled, sex obsessed, self absorbed and frankly just plain mean to other humans. Then add to that a slow moving plot that jumps back and forth over 10 years and you find yourself saying how many more pages?
Finally at the end, the characters see the light, but there's no real transition to make any metamorphosis believable. 3 stars. Thank you to Berkley Publishers and BookBrowse.com for this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Vivian H. (Winchester, VA)
Uninspiring with Unlikable Characters
If you are a fan of books by Taylor Jenkins Reid, you will enjoy this book about Hollywood in the 1960s & 1970s. I have always thought TJR's books are overrated & boring. I struggled to finish L.A. Women. I did not like or feel empathy for any of the characters who seem reckless, obnoxious, unhappy, and retreads of characters featured in other stories of LA in the period featuring sex, drugs and Rock N Roll. It was just depressing.
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Debra F. (Cudjoe Key, FL)
Women
This was not my favorite book. I had a hard time just 'liking' the characters; too much whining, too much complaining.
The story takes place in 2 different timelines. One of the women disappears and so they go back to the beginning of their relationship.
I generally enjoy Hollywood stories, life of the rich & famous etc. but I'm afraid this didn't do it for me.
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Jean F. (Cary, NC)
Making it Big in 1970's Los Angeles
Set in the late 1960's and up to the mid 1970's, L. A. Women is a story of the intense, fractured friendship between two young women, Lane, a novelist, ultimately a wife and mother, and Gala, a party girl and sometime writer with an out-size personality. The men in their lives are Charlie, party master and closeted gay, and straightforward upright Scotty, who marries Lane. Lane's childhood was particularly dysfunctional while Gala's wasn't wonderful either. As so-called friends, these two women use and abuse and sometimes depend on each other. Competition and compassion are at war in this back-and-forth relationship.
The opening chapters are full of sex and drug-laden parties, and I didn't find any of the characters very appealing or ones I could identify with. When Gala disappears and no one seems to know where she has gone, Lane feels compelled, even driven, to try to locate her. This search fuels the novel as the chapters alternate in time between past events and present day 1975. Recommended for fans of Ella Berman and those looking for a graphic depiction of an earlier Hollywood/Los Angeles party scene.
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